Thumb’s Up (and Ouch) for NCAA Contests

If you are a sports journalist (or something like that) and you suffer carpal tunnel syndrome from overusing your television remote control because of games such as Friday’s Michigan-Tennessee, Kentucky-Louisville and Michigan State-Virginia NCAA tournament contests, can you make a workers’ comp claim? Even if it would be against yourself (oh, the joys of self-employment — or whatever it is that we are doing around here)?

There is video of Stephanie Mahoe below. In case you are interested. Even if you aren’t.

* For those who would like to argue the college game is better than the NBA, please stop. Accept the reality that the skill level is superior in the pros (that’s the NBA, not the college programs where money might be going to players) and enjoy the college contests and the enthusiasm and all that.

* And, oh yeah, there is no purity in sport when you are talking about big-time college programs and the NCAA and all that. Sure some folks play for the love of the game. That’s even true on the pro level. And it applies to other endeavors, too, outside the athletic arena. Although I might have a hard time believing accountants would still be accountants strictly for their love of numbers.

* Speaking of numbers, we have this from Nate Silver, known recently for his political oddsmanship (is that even a word?) but who started out in the wonderful world of sports with baseball and such. His latest NCAA basketball championship odds: Florida 28%, Arizona 23%, Michigan State 14%, Wisconsin 12%, Kentucky 10%, Michigan 7%, Connecticut 5%, Dayton 1%. So it would appear that — unlike presidential elections — as Ohio goes, so it doesn’t go for the NCAA title. Or something like that.

* College basketball would be better is players stayed in school longer. Although you might have to question the mental capacity of someone passing up a megabucks deal to play in the NBA so he could stay in school. Until the NBA starts giving increased signing money for staying in school more than a year or so, don’t look for things to change. Oh, and don’t look for the NBA to institute any sort of policy that would reward players for staying in school.

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